What’s more exciting than a good ol’ baseball showdown? The No. 11 Tennessee Vols are putting up a valiant effort against the No. 3 Florida Gators, and boy, is it a roller coaster of emotions! After falling short in the first two games of the series, Tennessee is now pulling out all the stops to avoid a sweep.
Who’s our knight in shining armor, you ask? It’s sophomore right-hander Drew Beam, stepping up to the mound and leading the Vols to a potentially triumphant game three. This comes after the Gators took victories with 6-1 on Thursday and 9-3 on Friday, so the pressure is ON. But hey, what’s life without a little excitement, right?
As you bite your nails, rest assured that we’ve got your back with the live updates you need for this electrifying face-off. So what’s happening on the field? For starters, Tennessee came out swinging (pun intended) with a 3-0 lead in the first inning. Gators pitcher Jac Caglianone probably isn’t too pleased about the four consecutive walks that brought the Vols that early advantage. Zane Denton’s RBI groundout and a wild pitch scoring Christian Moore had Caglianone waving goodbye to the game before he could even reach the third out.
But Tennessee wasn’t done with their little stunt. They piled on three more runs in the third inning when Griffin Merritt led off with a double, scored thanks to a Florida error, and paved the way for Cal Stark’s two-run homer. Yup, you read that right – the lead was extended to a comfy 6-0. Can I get a “woohoo!”?
You’d think the Vols would be content with that, but nope! They continued to amp up the action with two more runs in the fourth inning, after Christian Moore got hit by a pitch and Griffin Merritt crushed a two-run home run, taking the score to a whopping 8-0.
The energy is off the charts, and so is Tennessee’s rankings! This week, they’ve climbed to No. 8 in the Coaches Poll and No. 9 in the NCBWA rankings. That’s our team – showing up and making us proud!
Keep your fingers crossed and your eyes glued to the game, folks, because the battle for baseball glory isn’t over just yet! Will the Vols keep up their spirited performance? Can the Gators make a comeback? There’s only one way to find out, so buckle up and enjoy the ride!